Vinification: Red and Rosé Wine

Question 1

What are the major differences between red wine making and white wine making?

Answer 1

1. White wines are usually pressed before fermentation while red wines are pressed after fermentation;
2. Red wines spend an extended period of time in contact with their skins before and during fermentation, extracting tannin and color from the lengthy skin contact whereas white wines are direct pressed;
3. Nearly all reds go through malolactic conversion and for whites it’s really up to the winemaker to decide whether the white goes through MLC.

Question 2

What does cold soaking do?

Answer 2

Cold soaking encourages a slow, long extraction of flavors and color (but not tannin) from red grapes at cool temperatures.

Tannins aren’t meaningfully extracted during cold soaks because tannins are more soluble in alcohol, which is present only after fermentation begins.

Question 3

What are the 5 overarching steps in traditional red winemaking?

Answer 3

1. Pre-fermentation processing
2. Alcoholic fermentation
3. Draining and pressing
4. Malolactic conversion
5. Maturation

Question 4

What winemaking elements must be closely managed during red winemaking?

Answer 4

• Density and temperature of the must;
• Oxygen level of the must;
• The cap that will be created during fermentation;
• The duration of skin contact.

Question 5

What is the typical temperature range for red wine fermentation?

What happens to the yeasts if fermentation temps get too high?

Answer 5

Between 20°C - 32°C (68°F - 90°F).

If fermentation temps go over 90ºF there’s a risk the yeasts will die.

Question 6

Why are red wines fermented at higher temperatures than white wines?

Answer 6

The higher temperatures allow for the extraction of color, flavor, and tannin which are the hallmarks of red wines.

Question 7

Why are most red wines produced with lower levels of Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) than most white wines?

Answer 7

The extended skin contact a red wine goes through will produce more anti-oxidants and lowers the need for sulfur.

Question 8

What is the “cap” in red winemaking?

Answer 8

The cap is the accumulated raft of skins, seeds, and other grape solids that float to the top of a fermenting red wine.

Question 9

What would happen to a red wine if the cap was not managed (punched down or pumped over) during winemaking?

Answer 9

If the cap is not managed, the resulting wine would be considerably less tannic, lighter in color, and would pack a less flavorful punch.

Off-odors would also develop as the yeasts need oxygen to survive.

Question 10

What are some widely practiced examples of cap management methods?

Answer 10

• Punching down
• Pumping over
• Rack and return
• Rotary fermenters

Question 11

Select the correct answer.

Fermentation is an:

a) endothermic reaction
b) exothermic reaction

Answer 11

Exothermic reation

Exothermic reactions release heat

Question 12

Name 3 actions winemakers can take to reduce the heat amassed during fermentation.

What two things do these actions do for the fermentation?

Answer 12

1. Pumping over;
2. Punching down;
3. Rack-and-return.

These methods also allow oxygen into the must and break up the cap.

Question 13

Why must the punching down technique be practiced more carefully than other cap management methods?

Answer 13

At the end of the fermentation process, when alcohol is higher, tannins are more easily extracted from the cap and if not practiced correctly, punching down can result in an exceedingly bitter and rough final wine.

Question 14

What is one of the key advantages of using a rotary fermenter?

Answer 14

Rotary fermenters continuously agitate the cap and juice together making extraction fast but, if the winemaker isn’t careful, extraction can be too deep and intense.

Rotary fermenters are commonly used in Australia.

Question 15

What wine region is most well known for its use of both carbonic and semi-carbonic maceration?

Answer 15

Beaujolais

Question 16

Briefly describe what carbonic maceration is.

Answer 16

It is an enzymatic, intracellular fermentation which takes place within the grapes themselves under anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions.

Anaerobic respiration of the grapes will convert the sugars in the grapes into ethanol.

Question 17

How is carbonic maceration carried out?

What is the result from using this method?

Answer 17

Uncrushed, intact, whole bunches of grapes are placed in fermentation vessels with CO₂ pumped into the vessel to remove any oxygen.

In this oxygen-free environment, berries start to ferment from the inside. Once the alcohol inside the grapes reaches 2%, they burst, releasing their juice naturally.

The grapes are typically pressed at this stage, separating the juice from the skins. Normal fermentation (with yeasts) then finishes fermentation.

Using this method results in a red wine that has lots of color, low tannins, and is soft, very fruity, and displays the typical flavor markers of carbonic maceration (kirsch, banana, bubble gum).

Question 18

What aromas and flavors will carbonic maceration give to a wine?

Answer 18

• Bananas
• Kirsch
• Bubble gum/gum drops/red licorice
• Spice notes (e.g. cinnamon, cardamom, all-spice)
• Candied cherry and plum

Added descriptors are included here to expand the vocabulary when describing a wine that has undergone carbonic maceration.

Question 19

How long does carbonic maceration usually take?

Answer 19

Carbonic maceration will usually take anywhere between 1-3 weeks.

Question 20

How does semi-carbonic maceration differ from carbonic maceration?

Answer 20

Both fermentations start off the same: vats are filled with intact, uncrushed, whole bunches of grapes.

However, in semi-carbonic, the vat isn’t filled with CO₂ – the winemaker shuts the vat on the whole bunches and allows the grapes to literally crush themselves under their own weight, releasing juice. Ambient yeasts start to metabolize the sugar in the grape juice that was released from the weight, producing CO₂ which fills the vat allowing the remaining berries go through carbonic maceration. Then, just like in carbonic maceration, once the berries reach 2% alcohol, they burst, releasing their juice, and the grapes are pressed and yeasts complete the fermentation.

Takeaway: traditional carbonic maceration involves CO₂ being pumped into the vat, and semi-carbonic maceration does not (the CO₂ is self-produced).

Question 21

When a red wine stays on its skins after primary fermentation is finished it’s called post-fermentation extraction*.

What is the benefit of post-fermentation extraction?

Post-fermentation is aka ‘extended maceration’.

Answer 21

This allows the red wine additional time to draw out further color, tannins, and other compounds from the grape solids.

Whether or not to do post-fermentation extraction is entirely up to the winemaker.

Question 22

When are grapes for red wines pressed?

Answer 22

After fermentation has completed.

Question 23

Select the correct option.

Malolactic conversion is:

• sometimes
• always
• never

used in the production of red wines.

Answer 23

Always

For red wine production malolactic conversion is standard practice instead of a stylistic choice.

Question 24

Do rosé wines undergo malolactic conversion?

Answer 24

Malolactic conversion is avoided for most rosé production as the crisp, fresh acidity of these wines is a defining feature of the rosé style.

Question 25

What are the 3 methods for rosé wine production that are commonly practiced?

Answer 25

1. Direct pressing
2. Short maceration
3. Blending

Question 26

In the European Union, the blending method for rosé wines is prohibited everywhere except for this region.

Answer 26

Champagne

This applies only to still wines, which is why rosé Champagne can be produced using the blending method.

Question 27

At what temperature is most direct press method rosé fermented?

Answer 27

12°C - 22°C (54°F - 72°F)

Question 28

What wine regions are known for making rosé wines using the direct press method?

Answer 28

• Côtes de Provence
• Languedoc